Restaurants

Low Carb Restaurants for Employees with Busy Schedules

November 4, 2014 By admin Leave a Comment

Employees with busy schedules usually order foods that take less time to prepare. Quick service restaurants and fast food chains are two options, but many restaurants also offer meals that take under 15 minutes to prepare.

Quick Fix Meals

There are plenty of quick fix meals to order at a restaurant. You can have steak with broccoli and onion, beef and mushroom stir fry, broccoli and beef stir fry, and more. Omelets also take less time to prepare and fit into your diet. If you are short of time, a buffet or salad bar is your best bet. There is plenty of choice, from hot and cold salad selections to appetizers and desserts. Some restaurants also have a seafood counter and offer gourmet cheese and meat selections and seasonal fruits. Other restaurants feature themed sections such as Mediterranean, Mexican, salad, Asian, fish market, and others. You can choose from a selection of main dishes, including turkey breast, slow roasted beef, smoked and grilled meats, and a lot more. There is a selection of vegetables and other products to build your own salad, including red onion, pickled vegetables, shredded carrot, tomatoes, mixed salad greens, etc. Many buffet restaurants also offer low carb-friendly salads such as green bean salad with olive oil, Greek salad, feta, pecan, and apple salad, and many others. You can choose from a selection of hot meals such as veal and beef meatballs, baked chicken, baked fish, and other options. Salad bars offer healthy and diet-friendly options to busy customers. There is a selection of healthy options such as shiitake mushrooms, jumbo asparagus, smoked salmon, and fresh mozzarella. Salad bars offer diet-friendly items such as sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke, prosciutto, and manchego cheese and parmesan. Some restaurants also offer customized salads and wraps and a variety of fresh toppings.

Many buffet and salad bars offer dinner, breakfast, and lunch menus. They also feature a selection of signature dishes such as pork carnitas, BBQ ribs, and steaks with onion and wild mushrooms.

Mobile Apps and Ordering

Some restaurants are about to offer mobile apps that allow customers to pre-order their meal. This saves a lot of time and waiting in line. Customers pre-order through their mobile phone and pay through a place and pay system. Online ordering is another option for employees with busy schedules. And if don’t have the time to eat out, you can use a catering service. Many restaurants offer a catering menu with snacks, salads, and meals. Some salad bars also offer catering services and customers are free to create their own salad. They offer a selection of cheeses, including Swiss, cheddar, pepper jack, goat cheese, crumbled blue, and others. Diet-friendly salad bars offer a selection of protein sources such as shrimp, tuna, steak, smoked bacon, tofu, and others. Some restaurants even offer protein bars and shakes. You can order an assorted fruit platter as well, depending on your diet. There are many payment options, including Discover, MasterCard, Visa, and pay on delivery. There are catering services that accept large, medium, and small orders.

Fast Food Joints and Diet-friendly Food

Fast food restaurants also offer diet-friendly items to busy customers. There are low carb options (see: lowcarbfoods.org) such as wings, ranch chicken salad, grilled chicken strips, lettuce wrapped burgers, and salads. Other fast food items to order include skinless chicken, grilled chicken wrap, grilled salmon, and more. Some restaurants even offer low carb burgers. The calorie count ranges from 140 to 570, depending on the menu of choice.

Filed Under: Dining, Food, Restaurants Tagged With: low carb apps, low carb restaurants, restaurant

Low Carb Meals That Most Restaurants Offer

October 20, 2014 By admin Leave a Comment

Many restaurants offer meals that are considered low carb-friendly or will gladly modify a meal to fit into your menu. Whether a chain, local restaurant or a fast food joint, there are options for low carbers.

Popular Choices
Many restaurants offer chicken with green beans and side salads. This is a good choice but avoid breaded chicken. Most restaurants also offer tasty omelets. Just skip the hash browns and toast and have steamed vegetables or salad greens instead. If you go with steak, ask if it has added sugar. Restaurants that offer salad bars are usually low carb-friendly. You can have grilled lamb chops with salad on the side. If you love seafood, many seafood restaurants offer grilled shrimp, grilled lobster, crab legs, and shrimp scampi.

Chicken wings, grilled chicken, chicken strips, Buffalo wings, and char grilled chicken are also popular choices. Many restaurants offer chicken, steak, and chops. Chicken fillet or steak with steamed vegetables is a great choice for your lunch menu. Many restaurants offer this option. Some restaurants offer popular meals such as carved roast turkey, baked fish, carved salmon and ham, hot wings, and taco meat. Other options are baked chicken, roast beef, beef patties, and more.

Low carb-friendly salads are also offered by many restaurants, for example, cob salad, Caesar salad, and others. Any salad that includes a protein source is a good choice (luncheon meat, cheese, etc.) Spring greens and tossed green salad, for example, are good options. Opt for salads with low carb dressings with no added sugar. Choose dressings such as raspberry vinaigrette, creamy Italian dressing, salsa, and blue cheese dressing. Caesar dressing is very low in carbs (less than 1 gram per portion) while blue cheese contains about 2.5 grams.

The Salad Bar

While many restaurants offer diet-friendly options, avoid sugary and starchy foods such as pancakes, French toast, French fries, and hash browns. The salad bar is your best bet, and some restaurants and chains offer the option to build your own salad. You choose from spring mix, iceberg, and Romaine lettuce and different toppings, including protein sources such as tofu, turkey chicken breast, and ham. Other toppings include artichoke hearts, blue cheese crumbles, and feta, parmesan, and shredded cheese. Many chains offer a large selection of toppings for your salad, including oranges, green bell peppers, sliced egg, pineapple, dried cranberries, mushrooms, olives, and bacon bits. Basically, you choose your base, toppings, filling, and dressing. Some restaurants even offer homemade coleslaw. There are classic choices as well, for example, house salad with cream, coleslaw, sweet corn, celery, tomatoes, cucumber, roast ham, and lettuce. The Italian salad is a great choice – a combination of celery, roast pepper, sun dried tomatoes, cucumber, olives, mozzarella, pesto, and of course, extra virgin olive oil. Or you can build your own salad and order cheese and bacon, spicy chicken breast, grilled salmon steak, or anything else that fits into a carbohydrate-controlled menu. Be careful with the dressings, toppings, and sauces because many contain hidden sugar and other carbohydrates.

Greek, Japanese, and Other Restaurants

While it is not difficult to pick a meal or salad in many Western-style restaurants, if you are going Japanese, for example, you may want to pass on meals that contain rice. Opt for fish and miso soup. Greek restaurants are an excellent choice for people on a low carb diet. You can have Greek salad, pan fried goat cheese, cucumber, yogurt, and garlic dip, garlic prawns, deep fried calamari, and other meals, salads, and appetizers that are diet-friendly.

Resources:

Low Carb Eating Out: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/low-carb-restaurant-orders

Low Carb Recipes: http://www.lowcarbfoods.org/low-carb-recipes.php

Dining Out Tips: http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/4586/low-carb-tips-for-dining-out

Filed Under: Diet, Dining, Restaurants Tagged With: dining out, low carb

Dining at a Non Low-Carb Friendly Restaurant: What to Do

July 21, 2014 By admin Leave a Comment

Low-carb diets have become increasingly popular, and some restaurants are now offering different reduced-carbohydrate meals to attract customers and increase their revenues. Still even if just a few meals suit your diet, you can have a balanced dinner or lunch.

What to Order

If you are on a ketogenic or another carbohydrate-restrictive diet, you may want to ask whether they serve sides other than French fries, polenta, and mashed potatoes. Ask whether they offer grilled zucchini or broccoli, carrot or rutabaga mash, or roasted summer squash. The choices also depend on the diet you follow. If you are on the Paleo Diet, for example, you can have nuts and fruits, vegetables, and animal protein. Just avoid meals with thick sauces because they are high in carbohydrates. If you are on the South Beach Diet, then you can have fish, poultry, lean meats, whole grains, nuts, vegetables, and olive oil. At a non-low carb friendly restaurant, you can order pork tenderloin or loin, duck breast, chicken, skinless turkey, and fish. Combine with brown rice or grilled or steamed vegetables and avoid rice and potatoes. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, you can order a meal made with vegetables, beans, and tofu. Choose a dish that is sautéed, broiled, grilled, or baked. You can combine it with a sauce.

If you are on the Atkins Diet, avoid sugars, starches, and grains and opt for red meat, heavy cream, vegetables, and dairies. Some restaurants are Atkins-friendly, but most aren’t. One option is to order steaks and a salad without croutons .Roasted turkey and rotisserie chicken are also good options. You can have gravy, but it contains a small amount of carbohydrates. Some foods are low in carbohydrates while others are carb-free. For example, a sirloin steak and house salad each contain about 13 – 15 grams. Wings with blue cheese are very low in carbs and are ideal if you are on a restrictive diet (they have just 4 grams). Then a side of bacon is practically carb-free, which makes it a safe choice.

Types of Restaurants

Some restaurants make for a better choice than others although they are not low-carb friendly. Fish restaurants are one example. You can have liberal amounts of fish, including rainbow trout, tilapia, salmon, lobster, and even shrimp cocktail. Some restaurants even list sodium and fat content and calories to make it easier for customers with special dietary requirements to choose a meal. There are different types of restaurants, for example, quick service, fast casual, casual dining, fine dining, and others. There are also restaurants that feature Chinese, Indonesian, Italian, and other cuisines. Regardless of the type of restaurant, look for items such as salads, grilled burgers, grilled chicken with tomatoes and lettuce, grilled seafood, and low-carb barbeque. Barbeque and stir-fries without starches and sugar are also good choices. There are other factors to take into account. Fine dining restaurants, for example, offer high quality food, but are pricey. An entrée may cost you $20 – $30 or more. Fast food restaurants, on the other hand, offer inexpensive options with prices within the $8 – $10 range. The main downside is that the meal options are more limited. There are some options, however. One is vegetarian fast food meals such as Caesar salad, vegan grilled vegetable plates, and others. Veggie burgers, pizzas, and pastas are off the list of allowed foods, however. In some cases, your only option is to order chicken or green salad.

Filed Under: Dining, Restaurants Tagged With: eat out, food, low carb friendly, low carb restaurants

Restaurants Join the Low-Carb Revolution

June 17, 2014 By admin Leave a Comment

While some restaurants and fast food chains offer few or no low-carb options, an increasing number of chains feature a selection of tasty and healthy options. They offer high-protein menus to dieters and diabetics to increase their customer base.

A Selection of Delicious Meals and Nutritional Information

Many restaurants offer specialties from the Cuban, Mexican, Irish, and other cuisines to attract low-carbers. There are healthy options to choose from, including rib-eye with spinach, mushroom jack fajitas, Kobe beef skirt steaks, and grilled lamb chops. Some restaurants also offer chef’s seasonal menus with dishes such as heirloom tomato salad, yellowfin tuna with beans and baby arugula, and lemongrass chicken with peanuts, celery root, and julienne carrots. All meals can be served cooked, undercooked, or raw, depending on the customer’s requirements. There are vegetarian and spicy versions as well. Restaurants that offer gluten-free meals use ingredients that are modified or made to be gluten-free.
Many restaurants use fresh ingredients to prepare all-natural beef, chicken, veggie, and other meal options. Many restaurants also follow emerging drink and food trends to improve their menus and services. They also cater to customers with special dietary requirements and are happy to accommodate their requests for vegan and vegetarian meals. Some restaurants even work with chefs, nutritional experts and mixologists to create healthy menus and meals. While there are restaurants that offer a few meals, others feature a comprehensive selection of over 30 or 40 low-carb dishes together with nutritional information about each meal. They provide information such as total fat, fiber, protein, sodium, carbohydrates, trans and saturated fats, and calories. Nutritional information is offered for all starters, appetizers, meals, soups, salad dressings and salads, sides, desserts, and even drinks and non-alcoholic beverages. Some restaurants even provide nutritional information for meals and drinks that are included in their kids’ menu. To offer accurate information, many restaurants cooperate with laboratories, nutritional experts, consultants, suppliers, and dietitians. There are some differences between chains and local restaurants, however. With chains, some items may vary slightly from one location to another.

Allergens and Healthy Food Choices

In addition to comprehensive information, some restaurants also offer information on foods that contain allergens, for example, shellfish, peanuts, soy, wheat, and others. This information is useful if you have gluten sensitivity or other allergies. Foods that contain allergens also include shellfish such as shrimp, lobster, and crab, as well as fish such as flounder, cod, and bass. Eggs and nuts also cause allergies, including walnuts, cashews, almonds, and peanuts. There are other trends in the food industry. Low carb-friendly restaurants are going green. They use only products that contain no additives, growth hormones, preservatives, and artificial flavors and coloring.

Best Practices

Not only this, but many restaurants adopt good practices to make it easier for customers to stick to their diet. Some restaurants, for example, offer carb-counter cards that allow customers to check the carb content of meals. Customers can check the nutritional value of meals on the websites of some restaurants. For example, creamed spinach contains 10 grams of protein and 18 grams of carbs while filet mignon has no carbohydrates. Stuffed chicken breast has 3 grams and Hollandaise sauce – 1 gram. Some restaurants also offer low-carb survival guides on their websites to make it easier for customers to stick to their diet while dining out. Some restaurants also offer South Beach or Atkins approved menus to attract customers who follow a certain diet and help them with their meal selection. They also feature daily menus to help customers diversify their menu and avoid diet boredom.

Fast Food and Chain Restaurants When on a Low Carb Diet

January 22, 2014 By admin Leave a Comment

Most people associate fast food with burgers, chips, and coke. However, fast food chains are changing their menus to offer healthier alternatives and foods with less sodium, sugar, and other simple carbohydrates.

Some Tips

It is a good idea to read the nutritional information to find the amount of carbohydrates, fats, and protein. As a rule, dressings are packed with carbohydrates while drinks are laden with sugar. Fat-free versions should be avoided because they contain added sugar. Good choices include the Light Italian, Creamy Caesar, and Ranch Dressing. Avoid mayo that contains corn syrup. If you want to have a sandwich, order without the bun. Some buns include as much as 30 grams of carbs. You can have an omelet sandwich, for example. Another option is to have the filling wrapped in lettuce. Many chains offer this option. While burgers contain no carbohydrates, the extras and condiments do. Onion, tomato, and cheese are good choices as they are low in carb content. Ordering fish is a bit tricky. In some fast food chains, fish fillets are breaded so fish has to go. The same goes for crispy and home style chicken patties as well as chicken fillets.

Salads, Sides, and Drinks

Salads are always a great healthy choice, but watch for certain ingredients. Avoid salads with tortilla strips and croutons and opt for versions with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, hearty greens, walnuts, and sugar-free dressings. Avoid salads that contain breaded chicken. Most salads offered by chains such as KFC contain breaded chicken. When it comes to low carb sides, there isn’t much of a choice. You can have cole slaw or green beans, for example. There are some low carb drinks such as diet soda and unsweetened iced tea but some chains offer sweetened ice teas that are loaded with sugar. Coffee and water are safe choices.

Alternatives to Fast Food Chains

If you don’t have the time to cook and love ready made foods, go to the convenience or grocery store. The salad bar is one option to consider. Or you can buy pre-made salads and deli foods. And you can always have meal replacement bars between meals. Check the label for sugar alcohols when buying snack bars. Some products contain maltitol which is a sugar substitute. The problem is that maltitol contains carbohydrates and has a negative impact on blood sugar levels. It has a high glycemic index value. When it comes to fruits, consumption depends on your diet plan. Some diets allow low-sugar fruits while others ban them during the introductory stage. Low-sugar fruits include blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and others. Check the ingredients if buying a ready made fruit salad.

Making Wise Low Carb Choices when Dining Out

January 7, 2014 By admin Leave a Comment

Sticking to a low carb diet is more difficult when dining out, especially if you are going to your favorite restaurant. Of course, it all depends on whether you are out with friends on a special occasion or business dinner, whether you love Indian, Italian, Mexican, Greek, or any other cuisine. Some restaurants offer plenty of choice when it comes to low carb meals, while others offer mostly carb-heavy meals.

Italian Restaurants

Even if you love pizza and spaghetti, they are not the best choices. The problem with Italian food is that bread, pastas, and pizzas are loaded with carbohydrates. Still you can choose from a selection of meals when dining out. Order dishes with lean meat, seafood, and fresh herbs, vegetables, and seasonings. There are some don’ts as well, including eggplant parmesan, breaded foods, crostini, bruschetta, polenta, risotto, and others. The foods to avoid also depend on the plan you follow. If you are in the induction phase of the Atkins Diet, for example, you should avoid foods that contain bread crumbs. The good news is that many antipasti contain a mix of vegetables, seafood, and lean meats. Antipasto platters include a selection of marinated vegetables, different cheeses, and salami and are suitable for a low carb diet.

Mexican Restaurants

There is a world of meals you can try at a Mexican restaurant. Mexican cuisine is not only about tamales, enchiladas, and tacos. You can have Fajitas, grilled vegetables and meats, and seafood. Mexicans also use mole – this a sauce made of chocolate, seeds, spices, and chili. Breakfast foods are also low carb. The traditional breakfast includes vegetables, beef, and eggs. Of course, there are some foods to avoid, including chimichangas, enchiladas, and quesadillas. They are packed with carbohydrates. You can have the filling, however. Other foods to avoid include burritos, nachos, taquitos, and tacos. You can have low carb tortillas if offered.

Chinese Restaurants

The Chinese cuisine is healthy and tasty, but there are plenty of high-carb meals to be avoided. The list of banned foods includes eggs rolls, steamed and fried rice, and breaded meats. Other dishes to avoid include deep fried wontons and noodles. Some sauces are loaded with or contain sugar. Examples include oyster sauce, plum sauce, and sweet and sour sauce. You can have some, but try to limit consumption. As a rule, thick sauces and soups contain corn starch. The good news is that there are plenty of safe meals to choose from, including barbeque, walnut chicken, and stir fried dishes. Veggie and meat combinations are also safe choices.

Regardless of whether you love Chinese, Vietnamese, Greek, Indian, or Moroccan food, there are safe choices and meals to avoid. If unsure about the ingredients, you can always ask the waiter or request that certain ingredients are not used when preparing your salad or meal.

Filed Under: Diet, Dining, Food, Restaurants Tagged With: Chinese Restaurants, diet, Italian Restaurants, low carb, Mexican Restaurants

How much to tip in restaurants and pubs around the world

May 7, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

As a voluntarily payment rewarded for good services, tipping worldwide depends on various cultural factors you need to consider. Tipping at restaurants is generally considered as part of the etiquette. Whereas it is a widely practiced social custom in some countries, in others it might be regarded as an insulting behavior. Always read about the tipping customs in the country you visit, or you may end up looking awkward.

How much to tip in Great Britain

Waitstaff in Britain benefits from stiff minimum wage requirements. Therefore tipping at British restaurants is entirely optional. Since legal requirements regulate all taxes and charges to be included in price, any additional charges are unusual. However some restaurants, mainly in the large cities, may require service charges of 10 percent. It is considered absolutely legal to refuse to pay the service charge if the services was not up to standard.

How much to tip in the United States

Tipping is customary in the USA and varies according to the quality of the service rendered. Restaurants in the United States add regulated service charge (~18 percent). Customers are expected to pay an additional amount of between 15-25 percent on consumption. The rate is regulated by the Memorandum of the National Association of restaurateurs in the U.S.

If you received free items or used a discount, it is appropriate to tip on the total amount of the bill, as if you would pay the full price. If you have special requests and requirements, it is expected that you tip the waitstaff appropriately. In restaurants with take out meals, you may leave a tip of 10 percent. In sit down-only locations, you may tip at around 15 percent for the effort. You may also want to tip the sommelier between 15 and 20 percent of your total wine consumption. In bars, you may leave a tip of 10 to 15 percent to the bartender. However, if the bar is particularly crowded, it is better to leave a generous tip. In case that the bartender serves you complimentary drinks, it is polite to tip at about half their price.

Waitstaff in USA is often paid very low wages and tipping is assumed to compensate the difference.

How much to tip in Canada

Tipping in Canada tends to be a bit lower in comparison to that in the USA. The reason is the higher minimum wages paid to waitstaff. Customers are expected to tip about 10-15 percent on the before-tax total bill. A tip of 20 percent is considered appropriate for exceptional service. It is a common practice for many restaurants to charge an automatic gratuity of 15 percent or more for larger groups.

How much to tip in Germany

Tipping in Germany as in other European countries is not as generous as in North America. A tip of 5-10 percent of the bill is considerate to offer for good services in German restaurants. Typically Germans leave €1 per bill of €20. It is regarded inappropriate to let the waitstaff give you back cents unless the customer is not satisfied with the service. However, you need to articulate reasonable arguments. For instance, you can’t expect to be served meals that are not on the menu list!

How much to tip in France

As a rule, service charge in France as well as in other Mediterranean countries is in the range of 10 – 15 percent of the total bill. Usually, the menu indicates that the charge has already been included in the prices listed. When the menu says “service not included” there will be a note of the amount of the charge at the end of the bill. Though the service is included, it is also customary to give something extra if delighted.

How much to tip in Italy

A tip of 10 percent, left on the table, in addition to the service charge (between 7 and 10 percent) is considered appropriate. The Italian staff is not accustomed to being tipped but will be pleased if you give them something extra. Many foreign tourists have been given back the money they had left on the table upon leaving. Moreover waitstaff is well paid and that also explains why tipping is rare. Italians like to tip only if they consider the food and the service exceptional. And in fact, just between 10 and 20 percent of the restaurant guests tip.

How much to tip in Spain

Tipping is not considered obligatory in Spanish restaurants as there is a service charge included in the bill. A pleased customer may leave a tip of 7 to 10 percent in addition to the charge. In general, the amount of the tip depends on the economic and social status of customers and the class of the restaurant – the higher the class, the higher percentage is expected. It is customary, particularly in small restaurants, to leave the small change left after paying the bill.

How much to tip in Australia

Tipping has never been a traditional practice among Australians. However, perhaps due to the American cultural influence, it has recently gained popularity particularly in the larger cities. A tip of 10 percent is exceptional and could be handed over in case of excellent service and in fine restaurants only. In general, most Aussies like to round up a bill by leaving coins on the table.
Australian restaurant staff gets paid good hourly wages and tipping isn’t a reason for rendering better services.

How much to tip in Japan

Tipping is highly unusual anywhere in Japan, not to mention even insulting. Moreover, Japanese staff perceives tipping an offense because they believe doing their job well goes without saying.

The sheer act of taking out money directly from your pocket and handing it over is considered impolite, even rude. A satisfied customer, instead, may put a gratuity in a small envelope and then hand it over to a staff member (that’s a practice in Japanese-style inns only).

How much to tip in India

Tipping in India is customary though not mandatory. Waitstaff gets about 10-15 percent of the total bill in case no service charge is added. In restaurants of high-end hotels, where tipping is discretionary, an additional 10 percent service surcharge is also included. In case of smaller restaurants, waiters get local currency notes (rupees) as a tip rather than a percentage of the bill. Few rupees are appropriate if the service was good.

How much to tip in China

Tipping is not accepted in China since it is not part of the local culture. Furthermore, it is officially prohibited to tip. Restaurants have a strict “no tipping policy”. Exceptions to the rule are the westernized areas of Hong Kong and Macau and other major cities where a tip of 3 percent is common as well as some restaurants in prestigious hotels serving foreign tourists who have adopted the tipping practice.

Filed Under: Dining, Restaurants, Tipping Tagged With: restaurant, tips, waiter, world